Archives for March 2013

Readers of Bet the Farm will glimpse the power behind global food and understand what truly supports the system that has brought mass misery to our planet. Our food is getting less healthy, less delicious, and more expensive even as the world’s biggest food companies and food scientists say things are better than ever and that […]

Moringa appears to be a medicinal cornucopia. It is considered to be exceptionally nutritious and is sometimes referred to as the “miracle tree.” The bark, leaves and roots are thought to have medicinal properties and have been used for centuries in folk medicine for a variety of health-promoting purposes. Moringa oleifera is the most widely cultivated […]

Quinoa was a staple of the ancient Incas and means ‘the mother grain’. Quinoa is perhaps one of the most perfect non-animal sources of protein on the planet. Quinoa (the name is derived from the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name kinwa or occasionally “Qin-wah”) originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago […]

The town of Tomioka (population 16,000) is well within the designated danger zone and was evacuated on March 12. To this day it remains a ghost town, save for one man: Naoto Matsumura, a fifth generation rice farmer in his early 50s. On March 11, 2011 an earthquake and tsunami resulted in multiple meltdowns at Fukushima […]

Two varieties of genetically modified apples, which do not bruise or brown, may hit the market by the end of 2013, according to a report by ANI News. If approved, the Arctic Granny Smith and Arctic Golden Delicious apples will be the second genetically modified (GMO) fruits allowed in the United States after the Hawaiian papaya. Okanagan Specialty Fruits […]

If nobody tests for radiation in food stuffs, does it mean it doesn’t contain radiation. The Japanese Ministry of Health and Labor announced testing for radioactive cesium in food will be scaled down. They have been testing only 132 food items to begin with. Ministry of Health and Labor announced that the radioactivity testing for […]

Fruit flies raised on diets based on organic foods performed better on a variety of health tests, including fertility and longevity. A new study looking at the potential health benefits of organic versus non-organic food found that fruit flies fed an organic diet recorded better health outcomes than flies fed a nonorganic diet. The study […]

Kaiser Permanente, the largest not-for-proft healthcare organization in the United States, is advising members to reduce their exposure to foods that contain ingredients known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These ingredients, quietly introduced into our food supply without labels or long-term safety studies, are either banned from or labeled in foods in dozens of countries around […]